Separation of Church and State in US History Term Paper

Separation of Church and State in US History
An examination of the controversy surrounding the separation of church and state in the USA.
# 153698 | 2,978 words | 7 sources | APA | 2012 | KE
Published on Oct 11, 2013 in Political Science (U.S.)


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Description:

The paper looks at the Osage tribe as an example of a Native-American religion and then discusses the origins and role of Islam, Judaism and Christianity in the United States government. The paper explores the debate surrounding the separation of church and state and examines the position of several past American presidents as well as the historical figures who stood for a church-state unity. The paper shows how the debate has taken various forms, and this reflects the different origins of the people who now form the United States of America. The paper considers the way forward for America and argues that the US needs to go back to the principles for which her founding fathers stood.

Outline:
Introduction: A Brief History of Religion in America
Islam in the US Government
Judaism in the US Government
Christianity in the US Government
Separation of Church and State
What is the Proposed Way Forward for the United States?

From the Paper:

"Among the Osages, almost every act that was performed was infused with religious connotations. As with any other American Indian tribe, it would be difficult and erroneous to take a single practice of the tribe and label it as their religion. The Osages prayed to Wakonda Above and Wakonda Below. Each village had a central road that divided it into grand divisions known as "Sky" and "Earth". This division, in itself, was a religious rite. Within each grand division, religious practices mirrored those of the opposite division. For example, if a man of the Sky division were to start putting on a shoe with the left leg, one of the Earth division would start with the right leg. Such religious observations permeated even their sleeping postures such that whereas one division had people sleeping on their right sides, the other division had people sleeping on their left sides. On the whole, they slept facing each other across the midway roads (Tinker, n. d.).
"Other religions were introduced into the American continent in the eighteenth century. Christianity was the first foreign religion. By the year 1840, occupied American villages already had representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska, Presbyterians and Catholics of both Roman and Greek proclivities."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Should religious institutions be separated from government?. (n.d.). TakeOnIt - Every Side to Every Story. Retrieved December 1, 2011, from http://www.takeonit.com/question/116.aspx
  • Dorf, M. (1998, October 30). Jewish representation in House may see decline | j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California. j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California. Retrieved December 1, 2011, from http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/9357/jewish-representation-in-house-may-see-decline/
  • Gaustad, E. S., & Noll, M. A. (2003). A documentary history of religion in America: since 1877 (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub..
  • Kennedy, D. J., & Newcombe, J. (n.d.). Separation Of Church And State. History - AllAboutHistory.org. Retrieved December 1, 2011, from http://www.allabouthistory.org/separation-of-church-and-state.htm
  • Religion and the Founding of the American Republic (Library of CongressExhibition). (2010, July 23). Library of Congress Home. Retrieved December 1, 2011, from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/

Cite this Term Paper:

APA Format

Separation of Church and State in US History (2013, October 11) Retrieved December 10, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/term-paper/separation-of-church-and-state-in-us-history-153698/

MLA Format

"Separation of Church and State in US History" 11 October 2013. Web. 10 December. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/term-paper/separation-of-church-and-state-in-us-history-153698/>

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